Years in business: Century 21 Robertson County Real Estate Inc. began in 1974 as Robertson County Real Estate. James Chandler started the company with one agent. They became affiliated with Century 21 in 1977 and have grown tremendously since. It is the oldest Century 21 office in Middle Tennessee. We are coming up on our 40th anniversary in January.

Describe the company and explain what makes it unique. How did you become involved in real estate? This real estate office is a team and teamwork explains the companyís growth and command of the market. It is not every agent for themselves in our office. Everyone works together to provide the best service possible. Our sales staff has won numerous awards and obtained many professional designations through the years.

Century 21 Robertson County Real Estate Inc. is an active member of the Tennessee Association of Realtors, Nashville Multiple Listing Service, Robertson County Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.

I got my real estate license in 1977 but started selling full time in 1984. I became affiliated with the Century 21 office in 1992 because it had the best reputation, great agents who were so helpful, and this office had the largest command of the business in Robertson County.

Where in the Nashville region are you active? Downtown Nashville, northwest to Robertson County, southwest to Cheatham County, north to Sumner County, Montgomery, Dickson and Wilson counties also. Some of our agents have their Kentucky license as well.

When selling a home, what can the owner do to maximize its value? Normally upgrades in the kitchen and bath area are important, and we always tell people that paint is the cheapest fix you can do to a house that will freshen it up enormously.

What advice do you have for clients who are preparing to buy a home? What steps should they take? The first thing to do is talk to a loan officer. If you can, call a Realtor you know and ask them for recommendations for several different loan officers they can talk to and get an idea what you can afford. Then once you have a price range, call that Realtor back and set up a time to come in and look at houses.

How is technology changing the way people buy and sell houses? The majority of our business is coming in online. The Century 21 name recognition is a big pull. People from all over the country look at our website; it generates a lot of business for us. When we put a listing in the Century 21 system, it goes out to more than 50 different websites automatically. All of our listing and selling forms are online; we can email them to our customers and now we can get electronic signatures without even printing the forms. Technology is growing so fast, itís a challenge keeping up.

What features are the most popular with todayís buyers? The granite, of course, but hardwood and tile flooring, nice tile in the baths, stainless appliances are all important. Having a bonus room is a nice feature, too.

What is the hallmark of the service you provide to your clients? Good, honest service that will bring that customer back to us. That is what our office strives to do. We have a multitude of Quality Service awards that acknowledge our goal to provide good service to our customers.